The present invention relates to devices and systems for sensing physical parameters, and, more particularly, to optically powered sensors and sensing systems in which optical energy from a source is provided to one or more sensors which, in turn, provide information-bearing optical energy representative of the sensed parameter.
Various types of sensors and sensor systems are known for measuring physical parameters. Traditionally, electrical sensors which provide a variation in resistance, capacitance, or other electrical characteristics as a function of a sensed physical parameter have been used to provide an electrical current or voltage output. For example, the resistance of a thermistor varies as a function of its temperature and can be used in a simple bridge circuit to provide a temperature responsive output current. In a similar manner, capacitors and capacitor-like structures can be used to provide electrical signal outputs that are responsive to environmental parameters that affect the dielectric constant of the capacitor. In a system or network context, groups of sensors are typically interconnected with a controller which provides source electrical power to the various sensors and measures or otherwise senses the parameter-affected electrical characteristic. In general, electrical sensors and electrical interconnections represent highly developed and reliable technology, although unshielded systems can be subject to electromagnetic interference (EMI).
With the advent of optical fibers, sensor systems using optical fibers to transmit information from one node in a network to another have been developed or proposed. Optical fiber transmission is best suited to digitally encoded optical pulses in which the information to be conveyed is encoded by varying an attribute of the pulse, such as the pulse width, amplitude, or repetition rate. Efforts directed to the transmission of analog light through optical fibers is less than optimal because of the substantial variation in attenuation for the transmitted energy as a consequence of the fiber temperature, external pressure applied to the fiber, the presence of small-radius bends in the fiber, and the cumulative effects of defects in the fiber.
In view of the highly developed state of traditional electrical sensors and the advantages attendant to pulse transmission in optical fibers, an optimal system can be achieved using traditional electrical sensors with optical fiber interconnection. In general, however, the need to power the electrical sensors requires separate electrical power paths to the sensors and thus adds undesired complexity to the overall system.
In one optical sensor system, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,478 to Sichling, optical energy is transmitted via optical fibers to a sensor which includes a photodetector and a storage capacitor for converting the input optical energy to electricity for storage in the capacitor. A transducer, such as a temperature sensor, uses the stored electrical energy to provide an electrical output to a pulse width modulator, such as a light emitting diode or a laser diode, to transmit one or more return pulses indicative of the measured parameter. While the Sichling system operates to provide duration-modulated pulses, the overall accuracy of the measurement is a function of the stored energy and the accuracy can degrade with changing characteristics of the storage capacitor, as can occur, for example, with changes in temperature and component aging. In additional, the use of pulse width modulation requires that the light emitting diode or laser diode be powered during the transmission of the entire pulse. In the context of low-power systems, the optical energy emitter can consume the major portion of the available stored energy and represent a constraint to efficient operation.